The government convened an all-party meeting chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh ahead of the Budget session, scheduled to start on July 22 with 19 sittings until August 12. Congress demanded the Deputy Speaker post and raised concerns about NEET and central agency misuse. JD(U) and YSRCP sought special status for their states. Rahul Gandhi attended as Leader of the Opposition. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget on Tuesday.
